The power of micro moments of joy

I was recently listening to an episode of the fantastic podcast, The Imperfects, (part of The Resilience Project) where Dr Emily introduced the idea of ‘micro moments of joy’.

The idea is that wherever you are and whatever is happening, if you choose to notice, you will find a small moment of beauty, meaning, connection or something else that brings you joy.

What are ‘micro moments of joy?

If you’ve ever done any mindfulness training, you’ll be familiar with the exercise where you centre your mind by focusing on what you can see, hear, smell, touch and taste.

This sensory exercise is designed to help focus your attention on the here-and-now. Often when we’re stressed or feeling low, our thoughts get caught up in either the future or the past. This exercise is great for bringing us back to the present.

Focusing on micro moments of joy offers a different approach, an invitation to notice, and savour, the small moments of happiness or meaning that happen to us every day; moments we often miss because we aren’t paying attention or are thinking about the next thing we have to do.

Micro moments may be found in any facet of life. Here are a few common ones.

• Beauty, wonder and awe – these moment might be found in the natural world, in music, art or science, for example.
• Physical or biological – eating something delicious, feeling the sun on our skin, resting after a strenuous walk, patting a dog, or hugging your child or partner.
• Relationships – we often share small, profound moments with partners, children, family, friends or community.
• Meaning – when we do something or witness something that aligns with our values, we may experience a spark of joy. This might also happen when we feel we are making a difference, connecting with our spiritual beliefs or supporting others through a tough time.

All it requires is taking a few minutes each day to stop, draw breath, look around, and notice.

Micro moments of beauty, humour, awe and connection are all around us—we sometimes just forget to look. The good news is, it’s really easy to learn.

Why focus on micro moments of joy?

Often, we think big things need to happen to change our level of happiness—winning  the lottery, a new relationship, a career shift or a bucket list holiday—but actually, an accumulation of very small moments of joy can have a big impact.

The BIG JOY project, an initiative of The Greater Good Science Center, invites participants to rank their happiness after completing 7 ‘micro acts’ of wellbeing over 7 days. So far, the study has surveyed over 22,000 people from over 22 countries and the preliminary findings suggest that these simple acts result in a 26% increase in emotional wellbeing, demonstrating ‘that small, daily activities can lead to meaningful increases in emotional wellbeing, positive emotions, agency over happiness and coping, and social connection.

In Julia Baird’s beautiful and profound book, Phosphorescence: on awe, wonder, and things that sustain you when things go dark, she describes how research has shown that ‘people who regularly feel awe are more likely to be generous, helpful, altruistic, ethical and relaxed’ (p. 24).

Focussing on micro moments of joy, rather than happiness, can also have other benefits. In this article in The Conversation, Finding joy in the little things really can benefit your wellbeing – a scientist explains, the author describes how:

‘Another key aspect of micro-joys is the fact that they centre on cultivating moments of pure joy—not happiness. This is important, as studies have found that the pursuit of happiness can be counterproductive, potentially leading to diminished wellbeing and heightened loneliness. While happiness is a state that people aim to achieve, joy encompasses the processes that may result in happiness.’

Does it work?

I thought I’d give it a try.

After I finished listening to the podcast, I was sitting in my car at the traffic lights in a fairly dismal industrial area. Piles of pallets sat alongside chain-link fences, rubbish was piled against bland concrete buildings, there was very little greenery. Thinking I probably couldn’t find anything that ‘sparked joy’ here, I challenged myself to find something.

As I looked across the concrete path, I noticed a rogue weed had grown from between two cement pavers. Swaying gently, its yellow flower and new leaves had caught the late afternoon light. It was so unassumingly beautiful in its resilience, I was surprised to find that I was profoundly moved.

And it did remind me that if we choose to look, these micro moments can be found anywhere.

After this, I found that I could find a micro moment of joy just about anywhere, if I put my mind to it. In fact, I made a bit of a game of it and tried to find things even in the most seemingly mundane and boring situations.

And you know what? It did leave me feeling more hopeful. Plus, it was quite ‘more-ish’.

Of course, this was just my experience. I encourage you to give it a try and see what happens.

How can it be helpful in your work with others?

If you are a social worker, educator, counsellor or parent, encouraging people to focus their attention on the micro moments of joy in their life can help bring a sense of hope into situations that may otherwise feel overwhelming or un-fixable. It’s also a great skill for children to learn, to support their wellbeing and resilience.

Additionally, supporting people to bring their awareness to the small positive things in their lives can have physiological benefits:

‘On a physiological level, engaging in micro-joys can improve our vagal tone. This is important, as the vagus nerve is responsible for our body’s autopilot system, which regulates the processes we don’t have to think about—such as our heart rate, digestion and breathing. The vagus nerve is also linked to mood and anxiety disorders, and regulating stress, so the more stimulated it is the better off you may be.’

In strengths-based terms, micro moments of joy could be thought of as ‘exceptions’. They can be the small moments when a problem or issue is absent, or lessened. They can also be used to help challenge cognitive errors like catastrophising or generalising, and disrupt ruminating thoughts.

By learning to take a step back, even at the height of a difficult experience or feeling—to consciously look for a small positive—we can create an opportunity for a new perspective, a tiny glimmer of hope, a moment of reprieve, or ‘calm in the storm’.

Unlike other forms of mindful practice (which are also incredibly useful and helpful for many people), these moments can be found anywhere, anytime. There is no right or wrong way to do this, or a correct time. It doesn’t need a quiet or specific space, which makes this practice highly accessible and easy to build into everyday life.

Micro moments of joy are as unique as people and each person will focus on the small moments that are meaningful to them. For a person who loves nature, those moments may be found primarily in the natural world—a bird on the balcony, the fragrance of a flower, an unusual cloud formation, toes in the sand at the beach. For someone who values relationships, those moments might be found in a hug with a family member, a laugh shared with friends or a flash of pride at a community event. For someone who loves music, they may tune into the sound of water or a favourite song.

This means that micro moments of joy are inherently person-centred, and personalised.

Encouraging people experiencing tough times to embed this practice into daily life can help them create a sustainable skill they can use forever. You might even encourage them to record these moments—in a journal or on a phone, or maybe as photos or drawings—to look back on in difficult times.

Over time, this can also help people tune into what they value. What things consistently bring them joy? Are these more in the realm or relationships or nature? How can they bring more of these experiences into their lives?

The more we train our minds to focus on moments of joy or meaning, the more we will naturally start to look for positives, which, over time, can result in a change of perspective or outlook on life. As the old saying goes, ‘you get what you focus on’. This can contribute to long-term mental health and help create a sense of empowerment.

How to get started

The key to doing this is stopping and taking time to notice. How often have you eaten a favourite food while watching TV—do you even notice how it tastes? Are you distracted when a loved one gives you a hug or says something nice? How often are you scrolling social media while in your garden or waiting for a bus?

Noticing micro moments of joy is an action. It requires attention and making a choice to deliberately seek out and focus on the world around us. It’s an invitation to find the small positives, even when everything may be feeling bleak or overwhelming.

It’s finding the swaying weed in the crack of concrete, watching a small child snuggle into their parent’s neck in the checkout line, noticing a sunset or a small moment of kindness, or finding pleasure in your child’s drawing of a wonky lopsided dog.

If you take the time to stop and notice, often a surprising thing happens. You start to gather a collection in your mind of small, beautiful, hopeful moments that continuously grow in number and power.

Suddenly, you have a ready-made constant reminder—accessible anytime—that the world, even in its bleakest moments, is a wonderous place.

by Sue King-Smith